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WH40K: Exotic Weapons
'Exotic Weapons' Some weapons defy classification or are rare enough to only be found occasionally in the hands of warriors within the Vortex. This includes rare alien weaponry, ancient pieces of archeotech, or unique devices created by a Vortex Daemon Prince or warlord for his own personal use. Each is not only rare but also difficult to operate. 'Using Sonic Weaponry' Sonic Weapons do not require ammunition as other weapons do. Instead they are designed to amplify and focus noise into a weapon. They often do require some sort of power source. Most Sonic Weapons, specifically those designed for the Noise Marines of Slaanesh, are designed to be hooked into the bearer’s power armor, drawing directly from the armor’s power supply. To use a Sonic Weapon, the bearer must be wearing a set of power armor (Legion, Human, or light). The Sonic Weapon has cables and leads that are attached directly into the armor’s power supply. As long as the armor has power, the Sonic Weapon functions, and does not require reloading or ammunition. Armor Penetration: Reflects how good the weapon is at cutting through armor. When a shot or blow from this weapon hits a target, reduce the target’s Armor by the weapon’s Armor Penetration, with results of less than 0 counting as 0 (i.e., the armor provides no protection at all). Then calculate Damage as normal. For example, if a weapon with an Armor Penetration of 1D hits a target with 2D Armor, the target will only count as having 1D Armor against any Damage the hit causes. Note that Armor Penetration has no effect on energy shields, but it does affect cover. 'Noise Marine Blastmaster' The Noise Marines of Slaanesh are warriors whose senses are jaded and dulled by centuries of excess. Only the most extreme sensations stir them, hence their use of sonic weaponry. The louder and more discordant the noise, the more extreme the emotional reaction provoked, and sonic weapons use sonic waves to produce deafeningly loud, psycho-sonically and pyrotechnically explosive results. The Blastmaster is a heavy weapon that focuses a throbbing bass note into an explosive crescendo that can burst eyeballs and rupture organs. The punishing sonic waves can even rupture and shatter armor, making the Blastmaster an effective anti-tank weapon. A Blastmaster can be fired on two settings. If on the “Explosive Crescendo” setting, it counts as a Heavy Weapon in all respects. If on the “Hail of Noise” setting, it fires off short, discordant riffs instead of a single pulse, allowing it to be fired on the move. *Blast Radius: 0-1/2/3/4m 'Noise Marine Doom Siren' The Doom Siren is an arrangement of pipes and tubes that connects to a helmet and magnifies the bearer’s war cries and howls of ecstatic pleasure into a manic shockwave of destruction. The Doom Siren mounts onto the bearer’s shoulders, leaving both of the bearer’s hands free to carry other weapons or perform other tasks. 'Noise Marines Sonic Blaster' A Sonic Blaster unleashes waves of crippling and distorted harmonics to rip targets apart. Many Noise Marines equipped with such weapons use them with manic intensity. They run up and down through the various chords and sliding scales so that these devices perpetually howl with a mixture of agony and ecstasy. When fired on Full Auto, the Sonic Blaster counts as a Heavy Weapon in all respects (including needing to brace). . 'Razor Web' Using the same tech as a conventional Imperial webber or web gun, the razor web fires a solid spray of web material, mixed with long barbed mono-filament strands. Not only does this entangle and entrap the victim, it also rends and tears him with a multitude of vicious barbs as he tries to free himself. *Blast Radius: 0-1/2m *Snare: On a successful hit, the target must make an Dexterity Test, Difficulty 15, or be immobilized. *Crippling: When a target suffers at least one wound from this weapon they count as being “crippled” for the remainder of the encounter or until healed of all Damage. If a crippled character takes more than a Half Action on their turn, they suffer 2 Damage. This Damage is not reduced by armor or Strength. 'Reaver Long Rifle' A common sniper rifle variant within the Vortex, the reaver long rifle fires heavy glass and iron darts loaded with virulent toxins guided by a coherent sighting beam. This makes it accurate and extremely deadly, but difficult to use with precision. *Accurate: Attack +1D *Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon after reduction for Armor and Strength must make a Difficult Strength Test with a –5 Penalty for every Point of Damage suffered. Success indicates no further effect from the weapon. Failure, however, deals an immediate 2D+1 points of Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Strength. *Felling: Reduces target's Armor bonus by 3D. 'Splinter Rifle' A weapon used by the decadent and cruel Dark Eldar, the splinter rifle fires crystalline ammunition shattered and propelled by a powerful magno-electric pulse. These shards are covered in incredibly virulent and fast-acting toxins, the better to ensure a painful death. *Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon after reduction for Armor and Strength must make a Difficult Strength Test with a –5 Penalty for every Point of Damage suffered. Success indicates no further effect from the weapon. Failure, however, deals an immediate 5D points of Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Strength. 'Spore Caster' These strange and completely unpleasant weapons hail from certain worlds in the Screaming Vortex with especially bizarre biologies. Spores harvested from the bulbous fungi of these worlds can be especially virulent, and are loaded into high-pressure air launchers. The resulting noxious mash can incapacitate a target with psychopathic hallucinations, making the weapon especially popular with certain Slaanesh worshipers. 'Hallucinogenic Effects' Hallucinogenic weapons use drugs or mind-altering exotic energy to disorient or disable their targets, often inducing a variety of short-lived psychological states and delusions. When a creature takes a hit from a Hallucinogenic weapon it must make a Strength Test (Difficulty 20) or suffer a temporary delusion and roll 1d10 on Hallucinogenic Effects. Respirators and sealed armor provide a +15 bonus to this Test. The effects last for 1 round for ever 3 points they missed the difficulty by, minimum 1 round. 'Static Repeater' This ancient weapon of unknown origin has been recovered from the surface of the planet Kurse, deep within the Vortex. The static repeater fires bolts of electromagnetic energy from a revolving chamber, bursts that disrupt and destroy technological artifacts, or at the very least cause them to malfunction spectacularly. Such devices are particularly sought after by the Magos of Forge Polix, who have no means to search Kurse on their own, as their rivals on Forge Castir dominate nearby space. 'Haywire Field Effects' *'Area of Effect': 1 meter Haywire weapons make use of microwaves or electromagnetic radiation to destroy the inner workings of machines and tech. Everything within the field’s radius is affected. Roll 1d10 on the Table: Haywire Field Effects to determine the strength of the effect. As the field slowly dissipates, the strength lessens one step in severity each round until it becomes Insignificant (i.e., a result of Major Disruption would become Minor Disruption the following round and then cease to have an effect the round after that). Additional Haywire attacks in the same area do not stack but instead create a new effect that will either be ignored if lower than the current effect or replaced if higher. 'Warp Cannon' Forge Castir has long experimented with weaponry and items powered through warp-tainted means, and this brutal device is one of their triumphs. This weapon is massive, built around a black and unstable core that can destabilize reality, opening brief portals to the Warp within a target, to spectacular effect. *Blast Radius: 0-1/2/3m *Recharge: Because of the volatile nature of the weapon’s ammunition or due to the way it fires, the weapon needs time between shots to Recharge. The weapon must spend the Round after firing building up a charge and cannot be fired—in effect the character can only fire the weapon every other Round. *Warp Weapon: Warp weapons ignore Armor and the Armor generated from cover. Force fields and armor specially warded work normally against them. 'Needle Pistol' Needle pistols use a low-power laser beam to propel small slivers of crystalline coated in viral toxins. Enemies wounded by them are almost instantly paralysed or dead within moments. As they are virtually silent and have no muzzle flash, needle weapons are ideal for assassins. *Accurate: Attack +1D *Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon after reduction for Armor and Strength must make a Difficult Strength Test with a –5 Penalty for every Point of Damage suffered. Success indicates no further effect from the weapon. Failure, however, deals an immediate 2D+1 points of Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Strength. 'Web Pistol' Web pistols fire masses of filaments, which expand in the air to form a web of sticky, near-unbreakable material. Targets are quickly entangled in a painful embrace; if they attempt to struggle the filaments constrict even more, further entrapping them. In addition to the normal effects of Snare weapons, each time an ensnared character fails a Strength or Dexterity Test to escape he imposes a cumulative –1D penalty on future tests. Should this exceed –3D, the character takes 1D+1 Damage for each future failed test. The webbing breaks down on its own and flakes away after 2D Rounds. *Snare: On a successful hit, the target must make an Dexterity Test, Difficulty 10, or be immobilized. 'Needle Rifle' Prized by snipers, the needle rifle offers the perfect combination of range, stealth and deadliness. The only argument against these exquisite weapons is that they are next to useless against heavily armored targets. *Accurate: Attack +1D *Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon after reduction for Armor and Strength must make a Difficult Strength Test with a –5 Penalty for every Point of Damage suffered. Success indicates no further effect from the weapon. Failure, however, deals an immediate 2D+1 points of Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Strength. 'Webber' The most commonly used web weapon, it is often called into play to subdue those violating the Emperor’s Law. They have a longer range and each shot can cover a small group of people, incapacitating entire crowds when used in large numbers. The webbing breaks down on its own and flakes away after 1D hours. *Blast Radius: 0-1/2/4/5m *Snare: On a successful hit, the target must make an Dexterity Test, Difficulty 10, or be immobilised. 'Astartes Conversion Beamer' A small number of these rare and deadly archeotech devices circulate through the hands of senior Techmarines. By using the energy stored in atomic bonds, a conversion beamer can annihilate creatures, vehicles, or nearly anything its beam reaches, provided it is given time to build to critical mass. When fired, a conversion beamer expels a stream of neutron bombarded particles, beginning an atomic chain reaction that converts matter to energy in a blazing beam that hurtles towards the target. As the escalating reaction travels, more and more air molecules are converted into a deadly blast that finally consumes the target in an explosive release of energy. Conversion beamers are more powerful at long ranges as they can absorb more matter into the blast’s strength before it hits. At distances of up to 15 metres, it does 2D+1 Damage (Speeder Scale) and has a Penetration of 0D+1 (Speeder Scale). Over that distance and up to Short Range, it does 4D+2 Damage (Speeder Scale) with a Penetration of 1D+1 (Speeder Scale). Against targets further than Short Range it does 9D (Speeder Scale) Damage with a Penetration of 1D+2 and has a two meter blast radius at the point of impact. 'Astartes Digital Weapons' Digital weapons, or digi-weapons as they are commonly known, are miniaturized guns so advanced that most foes mistake them for mere ornamentation until the digi-weapon unleashes the firepower of a full-sized pistol. The ranking Space Marines outfitted with such archeotech devices usually install them along the finger ridge of a glove for practical reasons. Rings are a more common design among Imperial nobles and military elite who are less likely to be wearing powered gloves. Digi-weapons exist that replicate the functions of a variety of deadly weapons. However, each weapon can only be fired once, and reloading a digi-weapon is exceptionally difficult. A character can wear up to one digi-weapon per finger—not thumbs—and a digi-weapon can be fired even if the character is holding something else in his hands. Digi-weapons may be used in melee like pistols. 'Astartes Digital Laser' *Reliable: Patterned on tried-and-true technology, Reliable weapons seldom fail. Reliable weapons only Jam on an unmodified hit roll of 1 on all attack dice. 'Astartes Sniper Rifle' The needle rifle offers the perfect combination of range, stealth, and deadliness. A low-power laser beam propels small slivers of crystallized toxin that, once lodged in flesh, dissolve into the bloodstream almost instantly. Many chemicals can be solidified into such rounds with the right equipment, and a variety are in use by the Deathwatch. The most common compound (and the standard ammunition for this weapon) is a viral toxin that leaves most enemies dead within moments of being wounded. As they have no muzzle flash, needle weapons are ideal for assassinations. The only argument against these exquisite weapons is that the brittle rounds have little penetrating power, making them next to useless against heavily armored targets. *Accurate: Attack +1D *Toxic: Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon after reduction for Armor and Strength must make a Difficult Strength Test with a –5 Penalty for every Point of Damage suffered. Success indicates no further effect from the weapon. Failure, however, deals an immediate 2D+1 points of Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Strength. 'Mole Mortar' Mole Mortars are odd devices that look much like regular Imperial Mortars, but they fire their shells under the ground rather than through the air via special tunneling torpedo rounds. The rounds penetrate the earth then arc back up in almost a reverse of a normal mortar round, timed to explode just underneath the surface. While not particularly accurate, they can often catch the enemy unprepared, and the resulting underground explosion can be devastating, since those enemies not killed or injured outright are typically knocked off their feet. Mole Mortars fire specially designed ammo and may not fire any unusual ammo that is not specifically designed to be used with a Mole Mortar. *Blast Radius: 0-1/2/3/4m *Inaccurate: Inaccurate weapons are either far too cumbersome to aim properly or lack any kind of reliable sights. These weapons never gain a bonus from Aiming. *Indirect: Attack -2D *Shocking: Shocking weapons can Stun their opponents with a powerful surge of energy. A target that takes at least 1 point of Damage from a Shocking weapon, after Armor and Strength, must make a Difficult Strength Test. If he fails, he is Stunned for 1 round for ever 3 points they missed the difficulty by, minimum 1 round. 'Crux Beam Gun' Long ago the Crux had a pocket stellar domain at the edge of what would later be known as the Calixis Sector. Their planets were one by one razed to the mantle in a brutal campaign by Admiral Jocardis the Penitent. Only the shipboard weapons captured by boarding parties during the war remain of the race now, with several such weapons now priceless relics in the armories of the Rogue Trader houses of the Koronus Expanse. These glossy black rifles emit a ray of crackling purple light which tears open solid mass. Had the Crux been able to develop these devices into macro weapons for naval combat, the later history of the Angevin Crusade may have turned out quite differently. Beam guns still occasionally appear for sale and many were adapted in earlier centuries to use Imperial pattern lasgun clips (although they burn out the clips completely within a few shots). Without fail, they are traded for vast sums. *Scatter: The standard ammunition of these weapons spreads out when fired, hitting more of the target. At Point Blank Range this weapon gains a +1D to hit and inflicts an additional +2 Damage. At Short Range it gains an additional +1D to hit. At Long or Extreme Range it suffers –2 Damage (to a minimum of 0). 'Dartcaster' Dartcasters come in a variety of forms, most using pressurized gas or crossbow mechanisms to fire small metal slivers at high velocities. As they have only a small degree of damage on their own, most users dip the dart in powerful poisons or other chemicals. These can range from simple needler poison to exotics such as hallucinogens or tranquillisers. Dartcasters are a favorite for some bounty hunters as they are flexible enough that the user can select the exact pre-coated dart desired (or coat the dart by hand with the desired chemical) then load in the dart for the shot. In a pinch, skilled users can also simply throw the dart manually at the target. Many of the ammunition loads for dartcasters are coated with chemicals to mimic the effects of a hallucinogen grenade or are formed of holy silver and then blessed to have a greater effect upon a creature of the warp. Naturally, other poisons can also be delivered via a dartcaster as well. *Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon after reduction for Armor and Strength must make a Difficult Strength Test with a –5 Penalty for every Point of Damage suffered. Success indicates no further effect from the weapon. Failure, however, deals an immediate 2D+1 points of Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Strength. 'Digital Weapons' Digital weapons, or digi-weapons as they are commonly known, are miniaturized guns which are so advanced that they can be worn on the finger like a ring, but pack the punch of a full-sized pistol. The most compact are those manufactured by the brightly-haired, ape-like aliens known as the Jokaero, whose creations are sought after across the Imperium. Digiweapons exist that replicate the functions of hand flamer , inferno pistols, needle pistols and hellpistols. However, each weapon can only be fired once, and reloading a digi-weapon is exceptionally difficult. A character can wear up to one digiweapon per finger—not thumbs—and a digi-weapon can be fired even if the character is holding something else in his hands. Digi-weapons may be used in melee like pistols. 'Digi-laser' *Reliable: Patterned on tried-and-true technology, Reliable weapons seldom fail. Reliable weapons only Jam on an unmodified hit roll of 1 on all attack dice. 'Digi-needler' *Anyone that takes Damage from a Toxic weapon after reduction for Armor and Strength must make a Difficult Strength Test with a –5 Penalty for every Point of Damage suffered. Success indicates no further effect from the weapon. Failure, however, deals an immediate 2D+1 points of Damage to the target with no reduction from Armor or Strength. 'Graviton Gun' The Graviton Gun fires a stream of particles that disrupt the localised gravimetric field around the target area, increasing the apparent mass of the enemy and slowing if not pinning them outright to the ground. While the enemy is normally not harmed greatly, they are incapacitated until the effects wear off. As it is not a lethal device, the Graviton Gun is useful for when someone must be captured alive rather than dead. They are exceedingly rare relics from the Dark Age of Technology, and each is a sacred device jealously guarded by the Adeptus Mechanicus—who very rarely allow one outside of their armories. Everything caught in the gun’s blast area is violently pressed to the floor and must take a Very Difficult Strength Test or be knocked down. Being thrown to a solid surface from a standing position and forced to the ground in this way is enough to inflict 1D+1 Damage—treat this as effecting the Body location—although what the character or object is thrown against and how far they fall may well make this effect far worse. Additionally, anyone attempting to move or perform physical actions within the blast radius for 2D Rounds afterwards must first pass an Opposed Strength Test versus Strength 6D. At the GM’s discretion, the flux may shatter brittle objects, collapse loose flooring, rupture containment vessels, damage vehicles and machinery, plus wreak any other chaos deemed appropriate. *Blast Radius: 0-1/2/4/5m 'Kroot Rifle' The basic Kroot Rifle is simple and reliable, firing a charged pulse round. Rumour says that these are an upgraded version of their primitive native weapon, but no one knows who may have accomplished this upgrade, as the technology is unfamiliar even to Calixian Ordo Xenos scholars. Kroot Rifles are balanced to fit deadly combat blades, allowing them to function as a halberd in close combat, especially in the hands of a Kroot Warrior. *Balanced: Melee Parry +1D 'Ork Shoota' These basic weapons also double as clubs due to their large and durable shape. They are smoothbore like all Ork weapons; it is unclear if the concept of rifling has never occurred to them or that they are incapable of creating weapons that well honed. *Inaccurate: Inaccurate weapons are either far too cumbersome to aim properly or lack any kind of reliable sights. These weapons never gain a bonus from Aiming. *Unreliable: These weapons suffer a Jam on a roll of 1 or 2 on the wild die. (For some unknown reason, this weapon is not Unreliable when fired by an Ork.) 'Ork Slugga' This is the standard Ork pistol weapon—a heavy calibre slugthrower. It is often also used as a melee weapon or even thrown at the enemy after running out of ammunition. *Inaccurate: Inaccurate weapons are either far too cumbersome to aim properly or lack any kind of reliable sights. These weapons never gain a bonus from Aiming. *Unreliable: These weapons suffer a Jam on a roll of 1 or 2 on the wild die. (For some unknown reason, this weapon is not Unreliable when fired by an Ork.) 'Shuriken Catapult' Shuriken catapults are the mainstay weapon for the Eldar—this alien race’s basic citizen-warrior “Guardians” use these weapons. They are lightweight and can be easily fired on the move. These weapons fire razor-sharp disks at high velocity to shred a target into pieces. *Reliable: Patterned on tried-and-true technology, Reliable weapons seldom fail. Reliable weapons only Jam on an unmodified hit roll of 1 on all attack dice. 'Shuriken Pistol' Shuriken weapons are graceful dealers of death that use sophisticated gravity accelerators to hurl volleys of miniature razor disks to literally slice their victims apart in seconds. The enigmatic alien Eldar create these weapons, and many of their warriors carry a shuriken pistol as a sidearm. *Reliable: Patterned on tried-and-true technology, Reliable weapons seldom fail. Reliable weapons only Jam on an unmodified hit roll of 1 on all attack dice. 'Sources' *Black Crusade - Core Rulebook (pages 160-161) *Dark Heresy - Core Rulebook (pages 131; 138) *Deathwatch - Core Rulebook (pages 152-153) *Only War - Core Rulebook (pages 184) *Rogue Trader - Core Rulebook (pages 127-129) *Warhammer 40k Wiki: Weapons *thedemonapostle